CHAPTER 260: CHAPTER 257 RIDICULOUS

Song Qizheng felt a chaotic pounding in his chest, like the beating of drums, and a buzzing sound filled his ears.

It was that person.

Back then, during a banquet at his new residence, Song Xian’s birth mother secretly met with another man and was caught in the act. The servants didn’t see the man’s appearance; the man fled in panic, leaving behind a private seal inscribed with his name: Feng Jiang.

When Feng Jiang was young, he lost both his parents and was adopted as a foster son by the Feng family couple.

The Feng family was scholarly; Song Xian’s birth mother and Feng Jiang studied poetry and texts together from a young age. Those unaware of Feng Jiang’s background assumed they were siblings.

They did have certain similarities in talent and appearance.

Not long after he married Song Xian’s birth mother, her parents passed away consecutively and left the remaining family fortune to Feng Jiang.

When Song Qizheng returned for the funeral, he heard rumors that the parents did so to compensate for Feng Jiang, whom they favored. It was a pity that they initially chose wrongly by adopting Feng Jiang as a foster son; otherwise, he might have been a capable son-in-law.

Those words back then were like grains of sand in Song Qizheng’s eyes.

Later, Feng Jiang refused to marry, requested employment in the North from the court, which made Song Qizheng even more uncomfortable.

Suspicions he harbored now lay before him, and how could Song Qizheng not believe?

But Song Xian’s birth mother defended the man, claiming he wasn’t her foster brother Feng Jiang.

Song Qizheng recalled the earnest gaze of his legal wife, Song Xian’s birth mother.

He heard her anxious voice: "It’s true, the housekeeper of General Zhao’s family asked me to go. The housekeeper said Mrs. Zhao wasn’t feeling well and wanted me to visit."

"When I went to the backyard, a man suddenly came out from the bamboo grove and embraced me. Seeing the servants approaching, he fled. I saw his face; he wasn’t my foster brother."

At that time, suppressing his anger and shame, he took her to confront Mrs. Zhao, who hadn’t invited her, and the Zhao family had never had such a housekeeper.

The guests were numerous that day, the Zhao family came and went several times, and the servants couldn’t clearly recall the number of gatekeepers. But since Mrs. Zhao insisted on not having seen the housekeeper, Song Xian’s birth mother could only be lying.

Song Qizheng felt everyone was laughing at him; mighty in battle, he had slain numerous enemy leaders, yet he couldn’t handle a woman, played like a puppet.

During his banquet, she secretly met with her foster brother.

Even at such a time, she continued to deceive him, defending her foster brother, while he searched through the entire estate and Dingzhou but couldn’t capture Feng Jiang.

Later, he interrogated the household steward, obtaining letters from Feng Jiang in the process.

Feng Jiang’s letters urged Song Xian’s birth mother to leave Daqi with him.

As he was shocked by the letters’ content, news came that Feng Jiang’s deputy general secretly opened checkpoints for Liao people to cross.

Connecting the events, he understood the truth: Feng Jiang had conspired with Liao people to open checkpoints, anxious about his foster sister, thus came to take her away.

If they hadn’t been caught back then, they might have traveled North, and by the time they were discovered, Liao people would have crossed and attacked Prince Guangyang’s territory. Amidst the chaos, he wouldn’t have had the chance to pursue the adulterous couple, allowing them to reach Liao Land smoothly.

Liao customs were unlike those of Qi; not being true siblings, they could marry and live joyously in Liao.

Sudden warfare resulted in a great disaster.

Liao people attacked Dai State, and remnants from the previous dynasty seized the opportunity to attack Prince Guangyang’s territory. Besieged on two fronts, Prince Guangyang couldn’t hold the eight states.

Fortunately, General Zhao and Song Qizheng defended Yizhou until the court’s reinforcement arrived.

After the conflict, the court investigated Song Qizheng; thankfully, he submitted Feng Jiang’s letters and reported Feng Jiang’s one-sided intention, claiming his wife had no plan to leave with him.

It preserved his reputation and Song Xian’s birth mother’s life,

Song Qizheng’s mind was a tangled mess.

This was the result he always believed in, yet never expected the housekeeper he’d never found now stood before him.

Song Qizheng carefully scrutinized the woman.

Her brows, eyes, silhouette...

No, he wouldn’t mistake her.

In her final years, Song Xian’s birth mother obsessively painted the woman’s portrait, nearly to the point of madness.

Already resentful towards Mrs. Feng, he couldn’t stand it any longer and not only struck her personally but also burned the paintings.

She collapsed to the ground, watching the paintings turn to ashes in the fire, her gaze at him was mocking, tinged with scorn.

"You are wrong."

Song Qizheng still remembered her words, clearly etched in his mind.

"You fool, you made a grave mistake; one day you’ll know."

After those words, she treated him as if he didn’t exist, her gaze never lingering on him, refusing to yield even in death.

"My foster brother is innocent, Feng Jiang is innocent, you’re right, he indeed surpasses you in countless ways."

Her past resentful words now felt like red-hot needles stabbing directly into Song Qizheng’s heart.

She had been dead for years, a truth he’d never believed or dared ponder suddenly appeared before him.

Song Qizheng almost lost control of his trembling hands, thoughts raced through his mind, and he strode towards the woman. Before anyone could react, he grabbed her jaw, binding her hands and feet tightly, leaving her no chance for self-harm.

"I will interrogate her myself," Song Qizheng ordered the household general, "Until I’ve finished, she cannot die."

The household general responded, binding the woman to the execution rack.

Muffled cries echoed as Song Qizheng approached again; the blood from the woman’s body had soaked through her clothes, her expression filled with panic.

Song Qizheng’s forehead veins bulged as he gritted his teeth and said, "Speak, who are you?"

Before the woman could speak, laughter came from not far away.

It was He Kuan who had stubbornly remained silent.

He Kuan laughed as if recalling something that delighted him.

When Song Qizheng’s gaze settled on him, He Kuan opened his mouth and said, "You’ve finally discovered the madam’s secret, now you realize just how incompetent you are, don’t you?"

"No wonder you thought the madam favored her foster brother; you felt inferior, deep down you believed you weren’t worthy of her."

After saying these words, He Kuan gasped rapidly, then glared with bloodshot eyes, "For someone like you, how could you command our loyalty? Watching you being manipulated all day, if I were still faithful to you, then I’d be the fool, wouldn’t you agree?"

He Kuan continued to laugh endlessly, "As you sit by the bedside looking at your eldest son, several times you’ve almost strangled him out of hate, hahaha, recalling it makes you... laughable."